Ørsted UK
COVID-19 update

Duncan Clark, Ørsted’s Head of Region UK, explains how we’re responding to the COVID-19 outbreak

In these challenging and uncertain times, Ørsted’s offshore wind farms around the UK remain operational with the capacity to deliver enough renewable electricity to power around 3.2 million homes.

There has been no significant adverse impact from the COVID-19 outbreak on our offshore operational outcomes to date and our development projects are currently progressing according to plan. Ørsted is also working with the UK Government and with National Grid and Ofgem to coordinate our plans and ensure we continue to follow best practice as the situation evolves.

We are absolutely focused on our key priorities during this outbreak. First to ensure the health and well-being of our employees, our contractors, their families and the communities where we operate. Second to do everything we can to help slow the spread of COVID-19 whilst we ensure our wind farms maintain a reliable supply of electricity for UK consumers at this crucial time for our country. Thirdly, to play our part in thanking and supporting those organisations doing so much to help those most in need at this difficult time.

In common with many businesses across the country, we have implemented precautionary measures at our sites based on the advice given by the UK Government and Public Health England.

It has been an inspiration to see teams across our business respond to this uniquely challenging situation with enormous energy and fortitude. Our operational teams on the front line are continuing to undertake vital work to ensure our wind farms stay online. Our construction teams are following government guidelines to ensure our people stay safe at sites and continue with the task to deliver projects that will create clean, green energy for our homes, businesses, schools and hospitals. Many more colleagues are working from home to provide critical support to keep our front-line operations working smoothly.

As you would expect, we continue to monitor the situation in close cooperation with our partners, contractors and suppliers and will provide a further update if we see any material change in circumstance that impacts on our operational capacity.

Finally, we know that, across the UK, the current situation is having a profound effect on families and communities. It is at times like these that we must come together to do what we can support each other. With this in mind, we wanted to reach out to the organisations in the communities where we operate to pass on our own message of thanks and assist their continuing efforts to protect the health and wellbeing of community workers and families in need of support. I encourage you to read more about our donations to our local NHS charities and foodbanks below.

Duncan Clark
Head of Region UK for Ørsted

Supporting our UK communities
as the fight against COVID-19 continues

We’ve pledged more than £165,000 to help support NHS workers and local foodbanks in the regions where we operate on the east and west coasts of the UK and in London.

In total, £145,000 will be donated to charities supporting NHS Trusts, to assist in their continuing efforts to protect the health and wellbeing of community workers. A further £21,000 will fund the work of foodbanks during this difficult time.

Discover more about the charities we’re supporting below.

Supporting charities in our West Coast region

Ørsted UK has operations facilities in Barrow, Liverpool and Northwich. We have pledged £75,000 to help support NHS workers and local foodbanks on the West coast.

Bay Hospitals Charity

Ørsted UK donation: £35,000

Bay Hospitals Charity works to improve the hospital and community care experience for patients and their families across North Lancashire and South Cumbria, raising funds for the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust.

Commenting on the support, David Wilkinson, Director of People and Organisational Development at the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay said: “This is a fantastic donation and we are very grateful to Ørsted. We will be working with colleagues to best identify how to utilise this very generous donation to support them in continuing to do such incredible work, day in day out, to keep us all well.”

Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Ørsted UK donation: £20,000

A total of £20,000 will be donated to the Support our Staff Appeal at Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. This provides equipment and resources for staff at Liverpool’s Aintree, Broadgreen, Dental and Royal hospitals. Ørsted’s donation will contribute towards relaxation rooms for staff working on the frontline against coronavirus. The rooms, which are designed to provide respite for staff will include reclining chairs, mini fridges with healthy snacks, relaxing music and comfort packs.

Commenting on the donation, Dianne Brown, Chief Nurse at Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I’d like to thank Ørsted for this very generous donation. It means so much to our staff, who are working in very challenging circumstances at the moment. The funds raised by the Support Our Staff appeal have enabled us to create spaces where our staff can take a moment for themselves and have a properly relaxing break.”

Mid Cheshire Hospitals Charity

Ørsted UK donation: £10,000

Mid Cheshire Hospitals Charity helps purchase state-of-the-art equipment, comforts and all the added extras which the NHS can’t provide for the Trust. The money from Ørsted’s donation will be used to support the creations of wellness rooms for hospital staff to take a mental, as well as physical break.

Commenting on the donation, James Sumner, Chief Executive of Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: "It's no secret that we are currently going through a challenging time. Our charity team is currently focusing on supporting the physical, emotional and mental wellbeing of our staff and this donation will make a huge difference to this work and to our workforce. On behalf of the Trust, we'd like to thank everyone at Orsted for this kind donation to our charity."

Wirral Foodbank and Barrow Foodbank

Ørsted UK donation:

£5,000 for Wirral Foodbank£5,000 for Barrow Foodbank

Our West Coast sites have chosen to donate £10,000 to assist the vital work of Wirral Foodbank and Barrow Foodbank, supporting vulnerable people in the region.

Commenting on the donation, Richard Roberts, General Manager at Wirral Foodbank, said: “Wirral Foodbank would like to thank Ørsted for its most generous donation of £5,000. We are facing unprecedented challenges; demand for our service was already high before Covid-19, we expect this to increase during the lockdown and beyond. This donation will enable us to meet the challenges with confidence.”

Supporting charities in our East Coast region

Our East Coast Hub operations facility is located on Grimsby Royal Docks in Lincolnshire. We also have an operations site located a Brightlingsea in Essex. Five operational offshore wind farms are run from our East Coast facilities — Westermost Rough, Lincs, Race Bank, Gunfleet Sands and Hornsea One. We have pledged more than £60,000 to help support NHS workers and local foodbanks on the East Coast.

The Health Tree Foundation

Ørsted UK donation: £20,000

The Health Tree Foundation works in partnership with the Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust to support workers at three hospitals across North and North East Lincolnshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire. The Foundation aims to improve the hospitals themselves, support treatment research, specialist medical training, and install state-of-the-art equipment and community services across the region.

Commenting on the donation, Clare Woodard, Charity Manager at The Health Tree Foundation, said: “The Health Tree Foundation has been overwhelmed with the offers of help and support we have received lately. This most generous gift from our local friends at Ørsted will be put to immediate and practical use, across our three hospital sites and community services, to support staff and patients through the most unprecedentedly challenging time.”

WISHH

Ørsted UK donation: £20,000

WISHHis an independent charity which supports the enhancement of facilities, services and equipment at Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital, for the benefit of patients and visitors alike.

Commenting on the donation, Sue Lockwood, Chairman of Hull Hospitals official charity WISHH, said: “This generous support will enable us to enhance provision of facilities for staff at both Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital, to support the overall wellbeing of staff both now and in the future. Staff across both hospitals have faced major changes as wards have being reconfigured to provide increased intensive care provision, and specific wards designated to care for patients suspected or diagnosed with Covid-19. All hospital staff from across the Trust have stepped up to the challenge, dealing with many things outside of their normal routine dealing with new situations and in some cases providing end of life care. It is important we support their wellbeing too. This kind and extremely generous donation from Ørsted will enable us to achieve this by enhancing our wellbeing provision.”

Colchester and Ipswich Hospital Charity

Ørsted UK donation: £15,000

Colchester & Ipswich Hospitals Charity supports the work of the East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust and its staff. The charity recently launched an appeal to specifically aid the welfare and wellbeing of staff during the Coronavirus crisis.

Commenting on the pandemic, Nick Hulme, Chief Executive of East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We have been overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity shown towards the NHS during the COVID-19 outbreak. This donation from Ørsted will make a huge difference to the way we can support our hardworking NHS staff, both during and after the pandemic.”

Commenting on the donation, Pam Hodge, CEO at Rock Foundation, said: “At this time of unprecedented national crisis, the need to pull together as a community to help each other through has never been greater. We are so grateful that Ørsted pulling together with us in this way, as we seek to serve some of the neediest people in our community.”

Supporting London charities

With Ørsted UK’s headquarters located in central London, we have pledged £30,000 to help support NHS workers and a local foodbank in the capital.

Guy’s & St Thomas’ and Westminster Foodbank

Ørsted UK donation:

£25,000 to Guy’s & St Thomas’
£5,000 to Westminster Foodbank

We will be donating £25,000 to the Guy’s & St Thomas’ hospital charity to help support NHS staff mental health and well-being during and after the COVID-19 crisis. A further £5,000 will be donated to the Westminster Foodbank to support their vital community work.

Commenting on the donation, Catherine Hart, Director of Fundraising for Guy’s and St Thomas’, said: “I would like to say a big thank you to Ørsted for its very generous donation of £25,000 to support the staff at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals and in our communities during this Covid-19 pandemic. The gift will be a huge help in funding special wellbeing projects for the extraordinary team of staff, as they work around the clock to care for everyone who needs it at this difficult time.”

The Ørsted vision is a world that runs entirely on green energy. Ørsted develops, constructs and operates offshore and onshore wind farms, solar farms, energy storage facilities, and bioenergy plants, and provides energy products to its customers. Globally, Ørsted is the market leader in offshore wind and it is constructing the world’s biggest offshore wind farms off the East Coast of the UK. Its UK offshore wind farms generate enough clean electricity for over three million UK homes. Ørsted ranks #1 in Corporate Knights' 2020 index of the Global 100 most sustainable corporations in the world and is recognised on the CDP Climate Change A List as a global leader on climate action. Headquartered in Denmark, Ørsted employs 6,500 people, including over 1000 in the UK. Ørsted's shares are listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen (Orsted). In 2019, the group's revenue was DKK 67.8 billion (EUR 9.1 billion).